The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a stay order against the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the cipher case.
The two-member bench, consisting of Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, announced this decision during the hearing of Imran Khan’s intra-court appeal against the trial in Adiala jail.
This development follows the approval of the caretaker federal cabinet to conduct the jail trial of the former prime minister and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. The cabinet gave its consent to the Ministry of Law’s summary regarding the trial of Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Adiala jail, citing security concerns.
Imran Khan, who was ousted from office in April last year following a no-confidence motion, had filed an appeal against the jail trial, which was initially rejected by the court’s single bench on October 16.
The single bench, led by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, stated that there was no apparent malice behind conducting Imran Khan’s jail trial in the cipher case and directed him to approach the trial court if he had any reservations.